Restorative Justice And Society's Response To Crime

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Society’s Response to Crime
Introduction
The society and crime are inseparable items. The presence of one automatically necessitates the other’s presence. The effect of crime on the society is massive because of the apparently affordable cost of crime for any prospective criminal and the steady drop in the standards of living experienced by the victims of crime. The society can play a crucial role in not only deterring but also reducing crime. The success of several crime prevention programs and agencies are hinged on communal and societal efforts. Statistics published by careful observers point to a shift in the society’s approach in handling crime, from applying restorative justice related punishments to meting out harsh punishments with no corrective motive.
Discussion …show more content…

It is prudent to state that in several restorative justice forums, the community members have to meet with the offenders in a bid to understand the reason behind the commission of the crime and the available avenues for making right whatever is wrong. It is a common occurrence for such meetings to culminate in the offender receiving a community service or restitution as a form of punishment. However, the main question that lingers is that of the effect of the application of restorative justice in reducing recidivism. Agencies of criminal research and researchers have in the past sought to determine how effective restorative justice is in reducing the rate of recidivism. In order to tackle the query, two approaches were undertaken by various researchers. The first approach outlined a literature review of the impact caused by restorative justice programs upon the offenders. The study was characterized by unpublished and published studies involving both juveniles and

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